JLL Hires Google Guy Vinay Goel as Chief Digital Product Officer

JLL announced today that it has brought on board former Google executive Vinay Goel to serve as its first Chief Digital Product Officer, as the international property consultancy continues to bet on the online future of real estate.

The hire of Goel, who previously served in global product leadership roles for products such as Google Maps, Google Apps and Google Station during his 11-year tenure with the Silicon Valley giant, is the latest in a series of tech-focused moves by JLL including its creation last month of a $100 million proptech venture fund.

In a statement, the Chicago-based firm said that it created the new role so that the former director of Product Management for Google Maps and Google Local could oversee delivery of technology solutions on behalf of the Fortune 500 company’s clients.

Serving Tech Needs of Corporate Giants

“Vinay joining JLL is a game-changer for the corporate real estate industry,” John Forrest, Global and Americas CEO for JLL’s Corporate Solutions division said in a statement. “Technology is creating unprecedented opportunity for organizations to unlock significant latent potential in their corporate real estate portfolios.”

Forrest’s Corporate Solutions team looks after JLL’s multinational clients, focused on ensuring uniform service delivery and satisfying the needs of companies that may occupy offices, operate research labs, run manufacturing facilities and maintain warehouses across multiple continents.

In his new role, Goel will remain stationed in Silicon Valley where he has resided after earlier serving as Head of Products for Google India. The graduate of Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management and the University of California at Berkeley also has experience working at Oracle, Intel and CheckPoint Software.

Doubling Down on Proptech

“I am excited to join JLL at such a transformative time for the company and for the industry,” Goel said. “New areas such as AI, machine learning, blockchain and internet of things will have a profound effect on workspace decisions and operations. I look forward to helping shape that future.”

Goel joins JLL as it continues to invest in proptech and just over one month after the company announced the creation of its $100 million JLL Spark Global Venture Fund. That fund aims to invest in companies focused on leveraging technology to improve everything from real estate development and management to leasing and investing, while enhancing the experience of those who occupy it, according to the company.

The fund also plans to connect startups with JLL’s business lines and clients to provide early trial cases for new products and to secure early access to new technology for JLL.

The fund is connected to JLL’s Spark division which it set up last year to identify and deliver new technology-driven real estate service offerings. The company said that Goel will collaborate with the JLL Spark team as well as the broader JLL organization in his new role.